1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of communication devices. More specifically, the invention relates to wireless communication devices.
2. Related Art
A typical wireless communication device, such as a mobile phone, comprises, among other things, a processor coupled to a memory and to a transceiver, each enclosed in a housing. A mobile power source, such as a battery, is coupled to and supplies power to the processor, the memory and the transceiver. A speaker and a microphone are also enclosed within the housing for transmitting and receiving, respectively, acoustic signals to and from a user of the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device communicates information by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic (“EM”) energy in the radio frequency (“RF”) band via an antenna coupled to the transceiver.
As use of wireless communication devices becomes more prevalent, customer demands for improved features have likewise grown. In particular, the desire for mobile phones capable of being arranged in a closed position as well as an open position, such a “clam shell” arrangement, has grown. Wireless communication devices incorporating such a feature are also referred to as “multi-position mobile phones” in the present application. The multi-position feature is desirable because the compact size of such mobile phones in the closed position results in improved user comfort and convenience for portable transport and storage, e.g., compared to fixed, one-piece (or “single-position”) mobile phones.
In the closed position, conventional multi-position mobile phones provide a limited number of features. Typically, such features have been limited to tasks related to receiving an incoming call, such as providing the ability to answer a call, display the phone number or identity of the calling party, turn on/off the phone, and adjust the ring volume or ring alert mode. The primary display and most of the keys otherwise available in the open position are unavailable for use in the closed position. As such, much of the phone's functionality is disabled in the closed position by design since, aside from answering incoming calls, multi-position mobile phones are generally intended to be placed in storage in the closed position.
In the open position, however, multi-position mobile phones generally provide all or most of the functions available to single-position mobile phones while providing an ergonomic shape, i.e., by strategically positioning speaker and microphone elements for conversational use. Consequently, multi-position mobile phones must first be placed in the open position before a large number of functions, such as initiating call, for example, are made available to the user. This burden is an acknowledged inconvenience associated with conventional multi-position mobile phones for achieving the compact size of the device in the closed position. On the other hand, reduced-size single-position phones provide a compact portable size at the expense of poor ergonomics for conversational use.